Malik denies flood aid corruption

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik has denied that government aid meant for the survivors of recent floods has been misused, media reports said.

Pakistan's government has set up a cash compensation scheme that allows the estimated 1.5 million people affected by the floods to withdraw cash from special bank accounts by using an electronic card. Each household can withdraw a maximum of 85,450 rupees ($1,000).

Media reports quoted some would-be users of the scheme as saying they had been denied cards and others say payments have disappeared from their accounts.

Malik admitted there were problems with the compensation scheme, such as identity fraud and illegal sale of the cards, but he said the scheme was "foolproof" and blamed public dishonesty for the problems rather than official corruption.